Hammer of the Gods

Chapter 10

NOME

Chapter 7

Snow and ice, dogs do run,

Iditarod and midnight sun

Gnomes of Nome, stories told,

Of great deeds, and cursed gold

Eagles fly, bears do roam,

Wolves do howl, sea doth foam

“Where are we?” Angelica asked the Archangel Gabriel.

“You are just outside the town of Nome, and that is the Bearing Sea.” Gabriel explained, pointing towards the ocean with one finger. The sun was a giant orb above the sea casting its radiant light across its surface as if giving them its blessing. Not far from where they stood was the town of Nome. There were some abandoned vehicles, dredges, and old boats along the beach closer to town. North of where they stood were some rolling hills and behind those some larger mountains.

“Go into town and ask for Aternerk Sangilak.” Gabriel said.

He handed Angelica and Jonah each a small pouch of gold nuggets and one of gold dust. In many places, this would seem out of the ordinary, but not in Nome, because most of the people here are involved with mining gold.

“Use it for what you need, but don’t flash it around too much.”

“You are not coming with us?” Angelica asked.

“I have brought you to Nome, but I have been away from Heaven far longer than I prefer. I do not care to spend too much time on the earth, as it is much more beautiful in Heaven, but also because of what happened to other angels in the past when they spent too much time here. In the meantime, I want each of you to wear these pendants. Squeeze them tightly and I will come or send another to assist you.”

The pendants looked like an eye, wrought from gold filigree. The Egyptian symbol for the Eye of RA was set inside of a circle with feathered wings extending out to the sides. The outer part of the image was solid gold; the white of the eye was white pearl, and the pupil was a black pearl.

Jonah stated, “The all-seeing eye.”

“Yes, Jonah, you are very learned for one so young.” Gabriel said. “Find Atenerk Sangliak and retrieve the Rod of God.”

Angelica’s green eyes seemed to sparkle in sunlight as she stared at the archangel.

Gabriel continued, “Each of you must overcome your fears and doubts. Angelica, you must regain your faith in God and repent. You should remember that you are descended from the Archangel Azazyel, and as one of the Nephilim, you have inherited special powers and abilities that have not yet been manifested. As you exercise your faith in God and are tested both physically and spiritually you will find that you have the ability to challenge the forces of evil. The dark forces will seek to destroy you or lead you astray and recruit you to their cause. Be ever mindful of this. There are other Nephilim, or part angels that yet roam the earth, but they are not of Azazyel’s bloodline. It is amongst those people that you must find your allies.”

“Who are these other Nephilim, where do we find them?” Jonah asked.

“Those friends and allies you must discover for yourself along your journey. Most of them are unaware of their angelic heritage as were you. Fare thee well.” Gabriel smiled kindly at them before looking up, towards the heavens, and in a flash of light he was gone.

Jonah said more to himself than to Angelica, “The Rod of God.”

Jonah went on to explain to his sister as they walked towards Nome that the Rod of God was the staff given to Moses to perform the miracles of Egypt. It was also used at times by his brother Aaron. It was rumored to have last been placed in the Hebrew Ark of the Covenant. The Rod had turned the water of Egypt to blood, called down the wrath of God in the form of plagues , including the plague of flies, frogs, boils and even the death of every firstborn Egyptian male child. The power of the Rod could transform it into a snake; it was used to break stone and find water. Moses had used the Rod and his priesthood to call down a tornado of fire to block the perusing Egyptian army, allowing the Israelites to cross the Red Sea on dry ground. Also, during a great battle, Moses held the staff aloft granting power to the Israelite armies over their enemies.

“Come. It’s cold and we are underdressed. We can’t spend too long in this snow in our tennis shoes.” Jonah said.

While Jonah was still very religious as had been their parents, Angelica had become an atheist after their parent’s murders two years earlier. It was an unsolved mystery in Pensacola, and she was determined to discover the killer and see that justice was served. Although Jonah had attempted to reconnect Angelica with her lost faith it was a topic that they more often avoided now. Angelica’s faith was being tested in unforeseen ways having just been visited by Gabriel one of the twelve archangels. Jonah had not had a chance to bring that up but was thinking perhaps now was not the time to mention it.

Jonah and Angelica worked their way up the beach towards the town of Nome, Alaska. They passed abandoned mining equipment and dredges. There was even an old, rusted train. The tracks were now buried beneath the sands. Only here and there were sections visible like the spine of some dinosaur.

Out in the ocean, they noticed many small boats, barges with dredges teaming with people who were trying to squeeze in some end of the season gold prospecting. It was eerily calm on the ocean today, with the fading light reflecting brightly off the water. There was no breeze, which was fortunate considering their clothing. The town was littered with shanty houses and derelict vehicles.

They made their way to a restaurant and sat down and ordered dinner. Angelica asked the young woman who served them, “Have you ever heard of someone named Aternerk Sangliak?

The waitress corrected Angelica’s pronunciation, and then said “We do not have a chief by that name, but perhaps you should speak to my father, our First Chief. He goes by Aternerk Konosak. This time of day you will find him near the jetties closest to town, watching the gold miners come in from their dredging. Aternerk means ‘chief’ in Inuit, but I will let him translate Sangliak for you, I am not familiar with that word.”

They ate a wonderful dinner of both salmon and halibut with mashed potatoes and corn. It was phenomenal.

“I can’t believe this is all real.” Angelica commented to her brother.

“I know what you mean, Sis. Gabriel first came to me a few months ago. I had been studying Dad’s notes and the scriptures when the room was suddenly filled with radiant light. When he appeared to me he was transfigured. He told me that we were needed in an important quest to locate the missing archangels and to recover some sacred relics that would aid us in our journey. He asked that I not share information with anyone about his visit or our quest, even with you. He would visit you when the time was right. He warned me that there would be dangers, and that the forces of evil are aware of us and our ancestry. Whether we chose to accept this quest or not we would be in danger he said. Has he appeared to you while transfigured?”

“No, only as he was today. What do you mean transfigured?”

“When he is transfigured he appears like the Biblical accounts of white heavenly beings, which shine with a glory that can be described like lightning. Not only does his countenance change, but he also has a halo above his head and beautiful, large feathered wings.”

“I’m glad you shared that with me, but some warning would have been nice before the experience in Battery Langdon with the werewolf and then there was the vampire Barabbas who came for me in Atlanta. I could have died!” After a moment, Angelica asked, “How do we really know if Gabriel is a good angel and not an evil, fallen, angel like the one you encountered?”

“Like the scriptures say, by their fruits you shall know them. It is confusing when Satan can appear as an angel of light and take on different appearances. Now that I have experienced both good and evil archangels, I hope I will be able to recognize the difference sooner. Satan was haughty and prideful. He feigned friendship and even healed me, but his demon, Cain, caused my injuries to begin with. The way he wore his robes, jewelry, and his smug attitude was not what Dad would have described as the traits of a righteous angel. We will have to be careful because he could appear again to deceive us. Gabriel, on the other hand, dresses modest and seems righteous. He is described as very loyal to God and a rule follower. I think he has our best interest in mind, even if he doesn’t prefer being here upon the earth.”

“I am so glad you are here with me big brother. I don’t know how I could go through this alone or with a stranger.” Angelica smiled and squeezed Jonah’s hand.

Jonah smiled in return. The waitress returned with their check.

“Thank you for your help,” Angelica said to the young native woman as they left the restaurant. She and Jonah started walking towards the jetties.

Kennels were present in a number of yards with sled dogs tied up eagerly anticipating their first run in the snow. Around a side street, they heard a yell. Suddenly, a dog sled team rounded the corner and raced up the street as its owner, who was wearing a fur lined parka and beaver fur mittens, cheered them on.

“Only in Alaska!” Jonah said excitedly.

They stopped at a general store and bought some jackets, gloves, and hats with some of the gold that Gabriel had given them.

At the post office, they stopped to read messages and pictures on a bulletin board out front. “Nome, Established 1901. The sign read, Nome, home of the world’s largest gold pan. 3.6 million ounces of gold recovered to date.” Many pictures of missing persons were on the board as well, mostly native men. They continued to walk and passed an auto repair shop and the local newspaper office, The Nome Nugget, which happened to be the oldest paper in Alaska. Angelica told Jonah that she wanted to text Uncle Brandon before her battery died, telling him not to worry about her as she would be staying with Jonah for a while in Alaska.

“Here take a selfie with me in front of the Gnome Nugget.” She snapped a quick photo and texted it to her uncle just as her phone went dead.

When they arrived at the docks, there were some small boats heading in for the day, but there were still hours of daylight left, so most would work until dark. The short, eighty-seven, frost-free, days had ended, and soon ice would prevent further searching for gold. At the docks, they saw a middle-aged man sitting alone at the end of the pier with a husky by his side. He was broad and thick, a local native man. His salt and peppered colored hair, was close cut. His skin was tan, and he was wearing ‘Bunny Boots’, big white rubber boots worn in the Far North. He wore old denim overalls and a fleece undershirt. As they approached, the dog gave a low growl, as the man turned to look at them. They noticed that he had a walking stick leaning on one side of the chair.

“Excuse us, sir. We are looking for Aternerk Konosak: is that you?” Angelica asked.

“That depends on why you look for him.” He smiled, his round chubby face wrinkling with the expression.

He was missing one tooth, but he had two of his other teeth that were crowned with gold. His skin was so thick on his head that it made several rolls on the back of his neck.

He put a hand on his dog’s head, as he said, “Stay Denali.”

He grabbed his walking stick and leveraged himself to a standing position, favoring his left leg as he limped towards them. He extended a thick meaty hand with fingers as thick as sausages to Jonah. He spoke in the deep guttural accent of the Alaska Natives, but his English was understandable. Jonah shook the Chief’s hand and noted that it was rough and callused from many years of hard physical work. The Chief did not extend his hand to Angelica, but she said nothing.